Walking in DaVinci's Shoes

#lenscraft @j4ngis (A Jangbrand) says

Super hero ability I'd like to have? To be able to really see things from another person's view. Found "How to think like Leonardo daVinci" in shelf. If I do - will I also invent the helicopter?

Of course, thinking like DaVinci doesn't mean adopting his Code. But it could mean seeing things through his Lens. I asked j4ngis what his book said about the DaVinci Lens, or what we might be able to elicit from it. He told me that the book was about 7 daVincian principles (habits), and trying to define a complete (creative) person's habits. So he thought it was more habits than lens.

And then (naturally) another good question:

If I use someone's lens - will my thinking change? Will conclusions converge with "someone"? Lens only focus and filter input?

Roy Grubb got his answer in first.

Change, probably. Converge, how? bcs you have different experiences and knowledge from that 'someone'. Lenses focus and filter - yes.

It is sometimes said of great art (including that of Da Vinci) that it causes us to see and understand things in new ways. For some art, this may even be its primary purpose (POSIWID). But of course, there are other ways to give us a new perspective. A good exercise for trainee architects and designers is to force them to spend the day in a wheelchair, or with blinkers that impair vision, or wearing thick gloves, to help them appreciate the requirements of disabled people.

In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, Atticus says 'In order to understand someone else you have to try and walk around in their shoes'. If you search the internet for "walking in someone else's shoes", you will find lots of people telling you how to achieve this feat. (I haven't tested any of this advice yet.) For example, an Ancient Hebrew Thinking Cap, which suggests that stepping into the shoes of the authors and subjects of the bible ("looking through their lens") boosts biblical insight.

Initially, it is from our parents (if we are lucky enough to have them) that we learn what to pay attention to. There were some things both my parents paid attention to, but there were also some differences in what they saw. When I walk down a street, I can see the things my late father would have noticed, and also the things my mother would notice. And of course, I am not limited by my parents, so I may also notice some things that neither my parents would see.

Naturally, I don't always agree with my parents' ideas, and my children don't always agree with mine. I can't force anyone (least of all my children) to think what I want them to think, but part of my job as a parent is to provide my children with good lenses, so that whatever they think is based on good sense.

Andrew Townley thought it was a little bit Heisenbergish. "Your thinking needs to change before lens becomes useful, doesn't it?" "Of course. Just thinking about the way I perceive things after I've read something really thought-provoking. Constant motion."

Yup, agrees @j4ngis. A lens will distort my current reality and change perspective. And influence thinking.

By the way, if you really want to walk in DaVinci's shoes, there's a bit more work to do. One of Leonardo DaVinci's inventions was a device for walking on water. (Floats for Walking on Water. See also Gizmag, Jesus shoes.)

Holistic on the Cheap?

The much-abused word "holism" appears in a story on the BBC News website about the health benefits of music. Opera 'is music for the heart' (22 June 2009)

"Music is already used holistically at the bedside in many hospitals. Not only is it cheap and easy to administer, music has discernable physical effects on the body as well as mood."

My guess is that the cheapest and easiest way to deliver music to patients would be to relay a standard set of scientifically tested pieces to the entire hospital, perhaps on a continuous random shuffle. The research suggests that music can be reduced to a set of physiological effects, perhaps suitable for all patients in any state. But that certainly isn't what I call holistic.

I think maybe Diana Greenman, chief executive of the Music in Hospitals charity ("Creating Joy through Live Music"), agrees with me.

"Music is holistic, but I hear time and again of stroke patients who suddenly are able to move in time to the music after previously being paralysed."

I interpret the critical word "but" as signifying a contrast for Greenman between the holistic quality of music and the production of specific effects in specific patients. Greenman also said it was important to tailor the performance to the individual, since not all people appreciate the same music. Live music may not be cheap or easy, but it may be a really good way to bring joy to recuperating patients.

Norms Matter

In his first Reith Lecture this year, Markets and Morals, Professor Michael Sandel discussed a couple of related examples in which economic incentives do not produce the intended system effect.

Firstly, an Israeli nursery. Parents would arrive late to pick up their children, causing cost and inconvenience to the staff. So the nursery introduced a system of fines, hoping to penalize these parents and encourage prompt pickup. As it turned out, the frequency of late pickup actually increased. It turned out that parents regarded this merely as a charge for extra time, and no longer felt guilty about the burden on the staff.

Secondly blood donation. In the UK, blood donation is voluntary; in the US, blood donors are paid, in order to encourage more regular donation. As it turns out, the US system produces more uncertainty and greater quality problems. Apparently blood donors no longer feel a sense of obligation in a market economy - blood is regarded as a commodity rather than as a gift.

As Professor Sandel puts it: Norms matter. This principle is not surprising to those familiar with Donella Meadows' idea of leverage points (PDF). Her paper identifies different degrees of effectiveness in intervening in complex systems. Economic incentives and punishments (rules of the system) rank 5th in her scheme, but the underlying value system (mindset or paradigm) ranks 2nd.